Your Providence Public Library

Providence Public Library is an essential agency of public education and crucial to the infrastructure of the Rhode Island community. We are one of the few major libraries in the United States that is a private not-for-profit institution governed by a Board of Directors, giving us the flexibility to respond to community need rapidly and effectively. More...

Out of Print Vivienne Doumani, Documentary

55 minutes

Out of Print draws us into the topsy-turvy world of the written word, illuminating the turbulent, exciting journey from the book through the digital revolution: writers, publishers, and readers are all in flux; booksellers are closing; students are confronting new challenges; librarians and teachers are seeking new roles. Storytellers like Ray Bradbury and Jeffrey Toobin, complemented by evocative visuals, weave a compelling tale of change. Novelist and Authors Guild President Scott Turow, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos (who originally founded Amazon as an online bookstore), and Harvard University Library Director and Digital Public Library of America enthusiast Robert Darnton place us in the middle of a debate about values and access. People tell us that they read “short-form” text – snippets – all day long, yet one out of four Americans no longer reads even a single book, in any format, in an entire year. Personal stories of parents and students take us into their worlds, highlighting how this revolution is changing every aspect of the printed word – and changing us.

Screens with 'Brain Power: From Synapses to Hyperlinks' is both a 10-min film and a new TED Book from award-winning Director Tiffany Shlain and her team at The Moxie Institute. Based on new brain research from Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child and University of Washington's I-LABS, the film explores the parallels between a child's brain development and the way the Internet is developing, offering insights into the best ways to shape both our children's brains and the global brain of the Internet.

Parking is available at the Providence Hilton Parking Garage: $3/3 hours.